Arnold gets another one

[Killiefocus]

Hyundai are moving to Royston Rd whilst the ally parade site gets redeveloped into a much bigger site for Hyundai .

[cas20]

the new Hyundai corporate image might not allowed small, shared sites like stirling and alexder parade?

[HendryG]

Seems a bit strange for a franchise to be moved to another site whilst its site is refurbished, usually it just stays at its own site during refurbishment.

However if its true about Hyundai corporate image standards necessitating Stirling Hyundai moving to Stirling Nissan and Seat getting hoofed out of Alexandra Parade to make it standalone Hyundai then that must mean they are going to have to relocate or redo their other Hyundai site at Shields Road shared with Chrysler and Jeep, as well as in Dundee (maybe moving into the now unfranchised and not long built standalone Nissan showroom) and Aberdeen (shares a small bit of the site - the former Ford workshops - with Mazda and Citroen, the rest of that site is primarily a large Ford showroom) their Inverness Hyundai site shares with a Motor store but the main showroom and garage/workshop is a solus Hyundai dealership, the Motorstore is a separate showroom on the forecourt converted from a covered used car display canopy.

Certainly going to be some musical chairs times ahead.

[cas20]

i think hyundai seem to have ambitions for serious growth and a new look is on the way
although their partner Kia allows shared sites

[HendryG]

cas20 said:

i think hyundai seem to have ambitions for serious growth and a new look is on the way
although their partner Kia allows shared sites

I've seen a few pictures of their latest "bronze" coloured corporate signage, looks like they are trying to go upmarket, certainly I've been Impressed by I30 and I40 models I've driven, in the volume sector their cars along with Kia stuff are probably only bettered by Fords and VWs, they are better than Vauxhalls, French stuff, Skoda's, Fiats, Mazda's, Nissans, and Toyotas IMO.

They've made huge progress in a couple of years, we had brand new 61 plate I10s on fleet when I first joined my current employer and they weren't bad but they still felt like cheap, tinny, bland cars, the latest ones feel "European" and fairly solidly built.

[cas20]

I guess the next issue is how consistent they can be and where they are going to aim their pricing. I think the new Mazda models look very sleek.

[HendryG]

Well, Perth is the first to go from their website, now listed as Perth Motorstore, but still showing as a Nissan branch.

http://www.arnoldclark.com/find-a-dealer-search/Ni...

[Killiefocus]

Evans Halshaw East Kilbride Vauxhall becomes Arnold Clark Vauxhall from today

[cas20]

Killiefocus said:

Evans Halshaw East Kilbride Vauxhall becomes Arnold Clark Vauxhall from today

very small site in terms of used cars.... I wonder if AC is planning on moving it to the EK Motorstore

[HendryG]

cas20 said:

very small site in terms of used cars.... I wonder if AC is planning on moving it to the EK Motorstore

Very small site full stop, last time I was in it was a 2 car showroom, and 4 bay workshop. I bought an Astra from Parks Motherwell a few years back and the salesman worked at Parks East Kilbride at the time Parks decided they didn't want to renew their Vauxhall franchise at EK and Motherwell and Vauxhall had to very quickly appoint Reg Vardy as the dealer for Lanarkshire, they took over the former McDonald Motors Peugeot garage in Motherwell (the site Peter Vardy rebuilt and still trades as Vauxhall) and they quickly secured the site at Braeview Place from a guy, Scott somebody, his surname escapes me, who had built what is now the Vauxhall dealership originally intending it to be a used car dealers called Whirlies Car Centre.

Could this be another sign Pendragon are planning to exit Scotland, first closing their Aberdeen Renault/Nissan site, then selling Aberdeen Jag to Peter Hardy, then Perth, Edinburgh Jag and Perth and Cupar Land Rover to John Clark now EK Vauxhall to Arnold, by my reckoning that only leaves them with Vauxhall in Kilmarnock, Ardrossan, Falkirk and Edinburgh, Ford in Glasgow, Coatbridge, EK, Kirkintilloch,Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh and Motherwell, Renault in Edinburgh and Merc in Glasgow, Giffnock and Ayr plus used Merc in Hamilton, not a lot for a company as big as them.

Also this acquisition now snookers me for warranty work, repairs and so on on the brand new shape Corsa I bought from Arnolds Linwood Vauxhall 2 weeks ago who ive had nothing but bother with after going against my better judgement and going near Arnold's again after all the hassle ive had with them in the past to the point I'm avoiding using any of their branches again, was going to use Halshaws EK as its probably the closest non Arnold's Vauxhall branch to me, now I'll need to trek further afield to Halshaws in Kilmarnock, or Peter Vardys in Motherwell.

Edited by HendryG on Wednesday 1st April 22:30

Edited by HendryG on Wednesday 1st April 22:33

[Pluto40]

Would avoid Peter Vardy, had nothing but hassle with them

After 16 years of Vauxhalls have just given up a bought a Ford. Disappointing that there is none of the 'small' Vauxhall dealers left (Curtis / Woods etc.) You basically have a choice of Vardy, Clark or Evans Halshaw in the Central Belt these days!

[S2red]

HendryG said:

Also this acquisition now snookers me for warranty work, repairs and so on on the brand new shape Corsa I bought from Arnolds Linwood Vauxhall 2 weeks ago .

Edited by HendryG on Wednesday 1st April 22:30

Edited by HendryG on Wednesday 1st April 22:33

You could try The old Woods in West Calder Still the same people despite being part of Arnold's empire

[750turbo]

Pluto40 said:

Would avoid Peter Vardy, had nothing but hassle with them

After 16 years of Vauxhalls have just given up a bought a Ford. Disappointing that there is none of the 'small' Vauxhall dealers left (Curtis / Woods etc.) You basically have a choice of Vardy, Clark or Evans Halshaw in the Central Belt these days!

Lindsays in Dumbuck are still on the go.

http://www.lindsaysvauxhall.co.uk/locations/lindsa...

[HendryG]

Arnold expanding in England as well: Seat dealership in Preston, look as to be on the same retail park as their existing Preston Renault/Dacia/Jeep site.

http://www.arnoldclark.com/find-a-dealer-search/pr...

I passed by Alexandra Parade Hyundai/Seat and there's a sign up saying "New Hyundai dealership coming soon, then a pic of a Hyundai showroom with the new bronze corporate signage and below it Arnold Clark has temporarily moved to 470 Royston Road Glasgow" I also noticed the Shell petrol station next to the Alex Parade site is now closed and fenced off so I think theyve maybe bought that to knock down to extend their used car forecourt which was already pretty big, Royston Road has had its Nissan signs taken down and has no signs on the building at all not even Arnold Clark, but does have Hyundai and Seat flags and cars in the showroom, I'm guessing when Hyundai goes back to the Parade then Royston Road will become a solus Seat dealership.

I have heard of one branch closure at Arnold's though, their Vauxhall body shop at Woodilee Industrial Estate in Lenzie, which was pretty small, run down and a mess.

Also saw Macklins new temporary Nissan site at Balmore Industrial Estate, apparently temporary until the new purpose built Nissan dealership in the city is completed early 2016. Their temporary Nissan site at Parkhead which opens the middle of this month is at the Gallowgate and is new/used sales only, no temp workshop, service dept etc here but the Balmore Industrial Estate one can do repairs and servicing. It would seem this was a fairly rushed, unplanned move so clearly Arnold and Nissan fell out not that long ago as generally the existing franchisee keeps the franchise until the new franchise has got everything in order to take over.

[cas20]

The Western Nissan site now has some cars in the showroom. It seems to have a decent space behind for used cars and some space to the front as well. It is visible from the main road but behind two other buildings in the retail park. SDM Nissan is still in business. I noticed their Nissan display at Tesco Camelon.

[HendryG]

cas20 said:

The Western Nissan site now has some cars in the showroom. It seems to have a decent space behind for used cars and some space to the front as well. It is visible from the main road but behind two other buildings in the retail park. SDM Nissan is still in business. I noticed their Nissan display at Tesco Camelon.

John Clark have also now opened Nissan in Perth as well as the Dundee one we already knew about based at their existing Dundee Seat/Skoda site.

Surprisingly the Perth branch isn't based at the former Western Saab/Alfa site on Edinburgh Rd we had heard they had acquired but instead at 300 Strathtay Road, which on google street view shows an existing disused building which mustve at some point prior to closing been motor trade premises as it still has an MOT sign on the wall, looks to be next to the Nationwide body shop in Perth.

[cas20]

Perhaps it is good for competition Arnold dropping/losing a big brand like Nissan. I think now it probably only leaves Fife and maybe Renfrewshire and surrounding areas as an open point for Nissan,

[HendryG]

cas20 said:

Perhaps it is good for competition Arnold dropping/losing a big brand like Nissan. I think now it probably only leaves Fife and maybe Renfrewshire and surrounding areas as an open point for Nissan,

I'd definitely agree with you there, and it must've been a bad fall out because I can't see it being to do with the range of cars or poor sales, because Nissans are the most popular they've been in years, selling like hotcakes in models such as the Juke, Note and Qashqai whereas rewind 10 years when Arnold had 10-12 Nissan showrooms when they were building bland, slow selling stuff like Almeras, Tinos and Primeras.

I also think that although its good for Nissan customers as they might now get better customer service and its good for competition, whilst increasing Nissan competition after recent events, they seems to be decreasing competition with other brands like the volume Renault (I.e. Ness Motors take over meaning they run the Renault franchise in the majority of Scotland) Ford (where they run huge territories such as Aberdeenshire and Peterhead, from the West of Glasgow right down through Renfrewshire into Ayrshire and then Dumfries and the borders save for 1 or 2 small dealers like JK Thomson, Garnock Valley Ford, Kerr Baillie and Border Cars Stranraer) and Vauxhall (takeover of Kerr and Smith Ayr in 2013, Woods in West Calder earlier this year, opening of Livingston as a Vauxhall dealership and now Evans Halshaw EK in addition to the dozen plus Vauxhall showrooms they already run) and popular prestige franchises like BMW and Merc where they are slowly but surely growing their reputation from nothing into whole areas, Merc from Stirlingshire northwards, Grangemouth through Perth, Dundee, into Aberdeen and then Inverness is a huge area of the country, and BMW from south of Glasgow down to Dumfries, plus the north of Scotland from Inverness onwards.

I think they are something like 1 of only 3 dealers in Scotland with the Merc franchise, the others being Eastern Western and Pendragon-Stratstone. And 1 of only 6 dealers of BMW in Scotland, the others being Douglas Park, Menzies, Grassicks, Eastern Western, Peter Vardy.

Edited by HendryG on Sunday 5th April 22:05

[cas20]

I wonder where the next consolidation will be. Will AC make another purchase or just keep adding here and there

[cas20]

HendryG said:

cas20 said:

Perhaps it is good for competition Arnold dropping/losing a big brand like Nissan. I think now it probably only leaves Fife and maybe Renfrewshire and surrounding areas as an open point for Nissan,

I'd definitely agree with you there, and it must've been a bad fall out because I can't see it being to do with the range of cars or poor sales, because Nissans are the most popular they've been in years, selling like hotcakes in models such as the Juke, Note and Qashqai whereas rewind 10 years when Arnold had 10-12 Nissan showrooms when they were building bland, slow selling stuff like Almeras, Tinos and Primeras.

I also think that although its good for Nissan customers as they might now get better customer service and its good for competition, whilst increasing Nissan competition after recent events, they seems to be decreasing competition with other brands like the volume Renault (I.e. Ness Motors take over meaning they run the Renault franchise in the majority of Scotland) Ford (where they run huge territories such as Aberdeenshire and Peterhead, from the West of Glasgow right down through Renfrewshire into Ayrshire and then Dumfries and the borders save for 1 or 2 small dealers like JK Thomson, Garnock Valley Ford, Kerr Baillie and Border Cars Stranraer) and Vauxhall (takeover of Kerr and Smith Ayr in 2013, Woods in West Calder earlier this year, opening of Livingston as a Vauxhall dealership and now Evans Halshaw EK in addition to the dozen plus Vauxhall showrooms they already run) and popular prestige franchises like BMW and Merc where they are slowly but surely growing their reputation from nothing into whole areas, Merc from Stirlingshire northwards and BMW from south of Glasgow down to Dumfries, plus the north of Scotland from Inverness onwards.

The only other Renault dealers I can think of is Park's in Lanarkshire/Ayrshire/Fife, Brown Bros in the Borders, Halshaw in Edinburgh and Mackie in Angus although I am sure there may be a dealer outside Aberdeen if I remember? Ford is now Arnold Clark, Macklin, Evans Halshaw and Peoples across the central belt of Scotland- with Macrae and Dick having a decent presence from Stirling northwards.

I wonder if Halshaw will remain in Scotland after the recent EK sale off. Macklin might fancy their sites. Heard a rumour about Macklin and Phoenix, Vertu do like Honda and Hyundai. Vauxhall is now the domain of Arnold Clark and Peter Vardy with the Halshaw sites in Edinburgh and Falkirk the only alternatives.

Merc and BMW are huge sellers for AC. I saw a couple of new Fairbairn BMWs in Hamilton of all places!